Widely heralded as one of the Association’s most versatile defensive specimens, Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green is looking to change the fact that he’s still without a Defensive Player of the Year Award in his trophy case.
In a recent interview with Chris Haynes of ESPN, Green wasn’t shy about his individual goal for this season.
“That’s something that I want to win,” the 26-year-old All-Star said about the DPOY Award. “And if there’s anything I’ve ever been selfish about, it’s that award. Like, I want that award.
“That doesn’t bother me to say I’m selfish in that regard. I want that award bad,” Green continued. “And that’s because I view myself as a defender. It’s like if I view myself as a scorer then I want to win the scoring title. If I am a scorer and I say I’m a scorer and that’s what I do, I want to win the scoring title because it says I was the best in this year at what I do. So that is something that I want to win.”
Green, who has two All-Defensive First Team selections to his name and has finished second to Kawhi Leonard of the San Antonio Spurs in DPOY voting the last two years in a row, is putting together a strong bid for the award through the first 11 games of the season. He’s averaging 9.8 rebounds (13th in the league), 2.3 steals (5th), and 1.7 blocks per game (9th), making him the only player in the league along with Anthony Davis of the New Orleans Pelicans to rank top-15 in all three categories. Green also checks in at 9th in defensive box score plus-minus.
Replacing Harrison Barnes with Kevin Durant and Andrew Bogut with Zaza Pachulia has made Golden State stronger offensively, but weaker defensively. That means that Green, who has developed something of a target on his back, will have to lock in more than ever on the defensive end. But it sounds like he’s definitely up for the challenge.
*Stats courtesy of Basketball Reference*
